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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27648227">summertime and the livin's easy</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lea12/pseuds/Lea12'>Lea12</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Vampire Diaries (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Beach Volleyball, Character Study, Elena and Katherine are twins, F/F, F/M, I'm great, Katherine is a Gilbert, Out of Character, Summer, anyway, but fuck it, but hey, dying my hair to match my fake personality, enjoy, fuck everything, fuck online classes, gaying hard but ruining a relationship because I don't know how to deal with my sexual energy, honestly, how are your lives?, i hate my writing, i really like this ship, it didn't take the turn I wanted, nothing matters anyway, on the verge of a breakdown, this didn't end up like I wanted, writing is hard</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 20:09:14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,230</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27648227</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lea12/pseuds/Lea12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>She likes California, settling in Santa Monica and enjoying the beaches and sun. She likes beach volleyball, she used to play it in high school and so she ends up befriending the friend group that play every day on her favorite beach.</p><p>There's a girl who looks really, really familiar. Tall blonde with legs that go on for miles and beautiful eyes. She thinks of Caroline, but there's no way someone like this is related to a freak of nature like that.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Elena Gilbert &amp; Katherine Pierce, Elena Gilbert &amp; Rebekah Mikaelson, Elena Gilbert/Damon Salvatore, Elena Gilbert/Stefan Salvatore, Jeremy Gilbert &amp; Katherine Pierce, Katherine Pierce/Valerie Tulle, Mason Lockwood/Katherine Pierce, Past Katherine Pierce/Damon Salvatore, implied Elijah Mikaelson/Katherine Pierce, past Katherine Pierce/Stefan Salvatore, past Stefan Salvatore/Valerie Tulle</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>summertime and the livin's easy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>https://forms.gle/TT3hjWm8zdyuDgZu9<br/> </p><p>I'm supposed to be studying and writing a paper, what's up with you guys?</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Katherine likes summer, she likes how sun kisses her skin, likes the feel of water, likes dresses and swimsuits that make her feel free, she likes how summer has a specific scent, she likes how she can escape the shitty town and her family and rules and there's no commitment, no obligations, no classes, no books, she's free.</em>
</p><p>She loves summer because it makes her feel free, she <em>is </em>free during those short summer months.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<p></p><div class="">
<p></p><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr"><p>Elena proposes that they spend their summer together, since they don't spend so much time together now they're in college and this is a great opportunity for all of them to hang out. Which, <em>as if</em> she wants to spend her summer of freedom with Elena's friends.</p><p>They're her friends too, but it's only because they all grew up together. Otherwise, she hates all of them, and they don't like her either.</p><p><em>Well</em>, she likes Matt, but that is because she has hots for Matt (regardless of rumors, she has some decency when it comes to her sister, which doesn't come from the fact that she doesn't want Elena's hand me downs <em>at all, </em>that's Elena's thing).</p><p> </p><p>She loves her twin, she does, believe it or not <em>(because most don't)</em>, but jumping on her twin's ex-boyfriends dicks the minute she leaves Mystic Falls. And Katherine <em>gets it</em>, alright?</p><p>She <em>understands</em>, she would do the <em>same thing</em> if she was Elena (hell, she would do <em>worse</em>, she <em>did </em>worse), and she isn't even hurt, but she thought perfect, angelic Elena would wait a little longer.</p><p>But really, she's proud of her little sister and if dating two brothers Katherine <em>thoroughly did</em> before her makes her happy, then she's happy.</p><p> </p><p>They all dealt with the death of their parents differently. Jeremy found solace in drugs, alcohol and Vicki, Elena in her journal and flirting with Stefan (Katherine' boyfriend at the time) and Katherine found her solace in Damon and wild college parties he took her.</p><p>Katherine leaves Mystic Falls, done with both of Salvatore brothers, she goes abroad for her senior year and plans on <em>never</em> coming back, because she's <em>free</em> in Europe, she's <em>finally</em> free of <em>Elena</em> and <em>Jeremy</em> and <em>grief</em> and <em>Elena's stupid friends</em> and <em>stupid teen drama</em> and she is <em>living </em>her life like <em>nothing matters</em> but <em>her</em>.</p><p>It didn't matter that her parents <em>died</em>, that her little brother tried to <em>kill himself</em>, that her twin is dating the boy she still <em>loves</em> and that she's living life Katherine is supposed to lead (because she is supposed to have so many friends, people are supposed to like <em>Katherine</em>, not <em>Elena</em>, but Elena is always <em>better</em>, <em>always</em>) and that Damon is whipped for her but has found a substitute for her in her sister.</p><p>It doesn't matter she doesn't really have friends, that she doesn't know how to grieve for her parents so she pushes her feelings down and plays the bitch part, that she doesn't deserve Stefan but Elena does and it doesn't <em>matter</em> she wants to run away and never look back with the first British guy she encounters. <em>It doesn't matter.</em></p><p> </p><p>But Elena calls her and begs for her to come back because she misses her and Katherine <em>might</em> hate her, but she isn't immune to her angelic voice and so she comes back and graduates with her twin and gets a letter back from University of Pennsylvania (her first choice would be California or New York, but she stays close to Elena and Jeremy).</p><p> </p><p>Tyler is hosting a graduation party and after she suffers through the fake shit with Elena's friends and awkward conversations with Stefan and Damon, she takes the entire bottle and ends up outside, looking at the sky, thinking about everything and nothing.</p><p>"Hey." She hears a voice and turns around to see Mason Lockwood, Tyler's young and very hot uncle.</p><p>"Hey." She smiles the flirty smile Elena and her share and they start talking.</p><p>She kisses him, because he lives in Florida and he is <em>free</em> from this <em>town</em> and from his <em>family</em> and he's <em>older</em> and he is so fucking <em>free</em> and she <em>wants</em> to feel free <em>again</em>.</p><p> </p><p>She goes with him to Florida and <em>god</em>, it's even better than Europe and she <em>loves</em> it. She thinks about taking a gap year and live out her college days with him in Florida, but her days of freedom with Mason are over because one of them was bound to fuck it up somehow.</p><p>
      <em>She wishes it was him, maybe it would be easier.</em>
    </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>She likes college, actually. The parties are wild, boys are hot, girls are fun and classes are interesting. She doesn't find herself missing Stefan or Damon, or Elena's friend group, which she thought would happen.</p><p> </p><p><em>No</em>, she starts missing those rushed mornings when her parents were still alive and she and Elena would fight over clothes and they would find common ground teasing Jer about a cute girl in his class and it was so normal, so fucking <em>normal</em> and she wants it <em>back</em>.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>First year of college is over and she spends her summer in Europe with Elena and her new friend, Rebekah and she hooks up with Rebekah's older, serious brother who is the best fuck of her life and she comes back to college a changed woman.</p><p>Second year passes, summer is spent with Jeremy in Denver, which goes pretty uneventful, but Jeremy is happier now, he isn't doing drugs anymore and he's dating someone else and she's kind of fine with her wasted summer like <em>that</em>.</p><p>Third year passes and that is when Elena proposes she spends her summer with her friends and ex-boyfriends and she scoffs, saying she is going to California. They fight and she hangs up on her, booking a plane ticket.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>She likes California, settling in Santa Monica and enjoying the beaches and sun. She likes beach volleyball, she used to play it in high school and so she ends up befriending the friend group that play every day on her favorite beach.</p><p> </p><p>There's a girl who looks really, <em>really</em> familiar. Tall blonde with legs that go on for miles and beautiful eyes. She thinks of Caroline, but there's no way someone like <em>this </em>is related to a freak of nature like <em>that</em>.</p><p> </p><p>The volleyball game is tense, the leggy blonde and her are made captains, so there's this entire tension between them because Katherine flirted with her before the match and they're both looking at each other with a challenging glint in their eyes.</p><p>Katherine's team wins and she walks up to the leggy blonde with a sly smirk and they don't really talk, no, they're leaving each other breathless and moaning, fingers doing exploring.</p><p> </p><p><em>Valerie Tulle</em>, she learns is her name and the name is so, <em>so very familiar</em> she is <em>certain</em> they've met before.</p><p>She looks at her, trying to remember and it hits her <em>why</em> she's so familiar when she's swallowing her moans and she laughs, because that girl was Stefan's first girlfriend.</p><p>"What's so funny?"</p><p>"We dated the same guy, did you know that?" Katherine asks, trailing kisses down her neck. Valerie looks at her, curious and flushed. "Stefan."</p><p>"Oh." Valerie says and Katherine mouths an <em>oh</em> back, teasing her. Valerie pulls her in a hard kiss, biting her lip and she thinks, oh, this is going to be so interesting.</p></div></div>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I don't know how to finish what I started, according to someone and hey, he is always fucking right, but fuck it, I tried.</p><p>I'm thinking of a Katherine/Mason one-shot set in this universe, I like that pairing.</p><p>It's not proofread, so if you find mistakes or something, tell me.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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